RWJF Pre-Doctoral and Post-Doctoral Research Award and Quick Strike Awards

Pre-doctoral and Post-doctoral Research Awards Public health services and systems research (PHSSR) is an emerging field of inquiry dedicated to analysis of the organization, financing and delivery of public health services, and examining the effect these services have on population health status. One of the key aims of the National Coordinating Center for Public Health Services and Systems Research and Practice-Based Research Networks (NCC) is to build the field and expand research capacity by supporting development of junior researchers. The program is designed to attract new researchers to the field by offering awards to both pre-doctoral students and junior faculty, including support of an established PHSSR mentor. The awards are designed to attract junior researchers at the beginning of their research career, engage them in the research questions defined in the four domains of the National Research Agenda for PHSSR, and to fund small projects that will further expand the PHSSR evidence base. In addition, the technical assistance provided by the NCC, the mentor and the Keeneland Conference sessions prepare them to successfully compete for larger awards. We propose to offer up to six PPRA awards at $25,000 each, and up to two of the awards will be mentored by principal investigators from member networks of the Public Health PBRN program. Responses to prior announcements and feedback from awardees indicate that these awards are extremely beneficial to PHSSR junior investigators seeking funding for pilot projects, doctoral dissertations, and PHSSR-specific projects. The NCC progress reports document the progression of previous awardees, and awardee progress will monitored through monthly research-in-progress virtual presentations with the group, and written reports submitted quarterly by each awardee. The NCC will manage and re-grant the proposed awards. This separate funding mechanism is proposed to allow sufficient time to release the CFP, receive and review proposals, approve finalists and complete University of Kentucky sub-awards with the sponsoring organizations, allow sufficient time for investigators to initiate and complete proposed research, and allow enough time for subawardees’ expenses to be processed at their sponsoring organizations. Quick Strike Research Awards The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Public Health Practice-Based Research Networks (PBRN) Program expands the volume and quality of evidence on effective public health practice through networks of practitioners and researchers who collaborate to conduct studies in real-world practice settings. At present, 30 Public Health PBRNs are registered with the Coordinating Center and participate in program activities. These PBRNs largely focus their efforts on public health services and systems research (PHSSR), a field of inquiry that identifies how best to organize, finance, and deliver public health strategies while also elucidating the comparative health and economic effects of these strategies. A host of economic, demographic, epidemiological, social and political developments are leading public health agencies and their partners to make significant changes to their structures and operations. These developments include changes in governmental financing of public health services, implementation of the Affordable Care Act’s provisions for delivery system reform in health care and public health, emerging and resurgent public health threats associated with natural disasters and communicable disease outbreaks, the adoption and diffusion of national accreditation standards for governmental public health agencies through the Public Health Accreditation Board, and such policy and organizational changes as health agency consolidation, regional cooperation models, and strategic public-private ventures. These adaptations create unique opportunities for studying the causes and consequences of system and practice change in public health, for determining the effectiveness of practice innovations, and for informing public health decision-making while these developments are still underway. Capitalizing on these research opportunities requires the ability to (1) quickly identify important trends and pending developments in the public health environment, (2) rapidly implement studies while these developments are still in process, and 3) ensure that emerging findings are readily accessible to practitioners and policymakers requiring evidence-based support for crafting timely decisions. PublicHealth PBRNs are uniquely positioned to undertake such rapid-response research studies. To this end, this project will support the identification, development, implementation, and translation of up to six Quick Strike Research Fund (QSRF) studies. Three of these will be conducted through the Public Health PBRNs. The project will be administered by the National Coordinating Center for the Public Health PBRN Program, located at the University of Kentucky. Project Components and Activities The Coordinating Center will provide sub-awards to 12 grantees during this program. The award amount will be $25,000. Six of these awards will be for the pre- and post-doctoral research award (PPRA). Four PPRA awards will be awarded to PHSSR grantees and two to PBRN grantees. The other six awards will be quick strike research awards (QSRA). Three of these awards will be awarded to PHSSR grantees and three to PBRN grantees. PPRA funds will support the development of pre-and post-dotoral researchers. The program is designed to attract new researchers to the field of PHSSR. Each subaward will be in the amount of $25,000 to be used over a 12 month project period. Quick Strike Research Funds will support short term, time-sensitive research projects. Each subaward will be in the amount of $25,000 to be used over a 3-6 month project period. We are using the historical grant amounts for QSRA as a basis for the anticipated cost of these grants and will require all applicants to submit proposed budgets which are in accordance with the Foundation’s budget guidelines, not to exceed $25,000. The amount for the PPRA has been increased from $10,000 from previous years to $25,000 to include travel for conference presentations which will be included as part of the subaward. Allowable costs include personnel for data collection, analysis, and report writing; a limited amount of travel necessary for data collection and dissemination; a limited amount of supplies necessary for data collection, analysis, and dissemination activities; and indirect costs in keeping with the standard RWJF rate of 12% (or 4% on purchased services if they exceed 33% of total direct costs). The University of Kentucky will structure these contracts as cost-reimbursement subcontracts. All sub-awards will be required to be completed on or before 12/30/2015